My wife, Angie, and our kids, Hannah, Luke and Ben, have been RVers since 2007. We were tent campers prior to that, but only just a few times. The last time we went tent camping is when we woke up sore, cold and wet and promised to never again go camping again … unless we were in an RV — an experience shared by many RVers, I bet!

Our camper is a new-to-us 2000 Trail Lite Bantam Hybrid C-21B we bought in 2007. We bought it from General RV in Michigan. One of the reasons we bought it was because our tow vehicle at the time was our 2002 Pontiac Montana minivan. It came with a factory-equipped tow package, but even then its maximum tow capacity was 3,500 pounds (which includes four adults). We assumed we were destined for a pop-up camper until the Bantam came along. The dry weight is 2,700 pounds, but me being skeptical I think the actual dry weight is closer to 3,000. That left us with 500 pounds to spare — not much. I'm sure we were pushing the limits.

Our setup also includes the Equal-i-zer sway control — something I am completely satisfied with and would highly recommend. Our first aftermarket brake controller was a Prodigy and then later a POD — no complaints with either one – but the Silverado has an integrated controller.

Although we have only been RVers since 2007, several members of my extended family are RVers from way back. My grandparents traveled most of North America in their motorhomes, and several sets of aunts and uncles travel in 5th wheels, travel trailers, hybrids and pop-ups. Some even break out a tent every now and then!

We live in southern Michigan, which means our camping season is confined to seasonal jurisdictions. On top of that, the kids are all active in one thing or another so our spring opportunities are somewhat limited as well. Still, we manage to camp two or sometimes even three times a month from June through September.

We consider our RV our cottage. We like that we can take our cottage most anywhere, and we enjoy discovering new campgrounds in distant locations and all the area has to offer. My favorite thing about camping is sitting around the campfire, doing nothing more than relaxing and laughing with family and friends.